Christian Society

Annotation

In TheChristian Society, one of the great Christian commentators of the twentiethcentury describes how the Church came to be a society. The past relationshipbetween the missionary church and the pagan cultures it replaced is discussedalongside more recent delicate ecumenical relationships and the ongoingconflict between the church and atheism. Stephen Neill's perceptiveness as ahistorian is shown in his masterful summary of the church's story from the daysof Jesus to his own time. Meanwhile, his experience as a missionary andecumenist comes to the fore as he demonstrates how the unity of the church isintegral to its place in modern society, and its power to create a society. Throughout, hisapproach is empirical, and he considers 'all who have claimed the Christianname, without making preliminary judgements as to their orthodoxy or theirstanding within the general body of Christian people.' The result is acomprehensive depiction of Christianity as a social phenomenon that is asrelevant today as when it was written.